right been new to this game im just wondering is it essential to have the right fly on or can you try any type of fly and maybe get lucky. im really strugling to use the right fly at the moment

Hi mate to be honest you havent given people enough information for them to help you out.
What waters running/still,type of stocking ie loads of stocked fish/small amount some brownies ect.
Water colour, flies tried rod/line used ect.all this info should help you get a better reply.

80-90% of trout/grayling food is nymph/larve. Most nymph/larve is brown/olive and fuzzy.

So, patterns like the hare's ear nymph (GRHE), pheasant tail nymph (PTN) and czech nymph do very well most of the time.

Typically you would only use dry flies when a hatch is on; and of course try to "match the hatch" with an appropriate fly. Or perhaps if targeting visible fish on say a chalkstream (which we don't have in the North East )

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i dare say i reckon you could catch any fish anywhere with a sparse small black spider..........
infact id challenge you!!!

There are general patterns that work all year round, a couple have been mentioned above. The great Frank Sawyer used only 5 patterns for all fishing situations.

As has already been mentioned, you haven't given much information, but in general the fly patten is not the end-all-be-all of fishing.

Trout are tremendous opportunists and if you run something by them that looks like food, there's a better than not chance they will take it. IMO there are a lot of things that matter more than exact pattern, among them:

1. Presentation - the depth the fly is fished at, the speed, making it drag free if fishing dry of nymphing, the action of the fly, the retrieve, etc.

2. Fly size - This makes much more of a difference than pattern, IMO. I'd rather have 10 fly patterns in 3 sizes than 30 patterns in one size. I've had it happen many times that I've changed to a different size of the same fly and suddenly that "pattern" that didn't work before, started working.

3. Leader and tippet - related to presentation, but not exactly the same. Switching to lower vis or finer tippet can produce results with no other changes.

Don't feel overwhelmed by the massive number of patterns on the market. 3-5 patterns in each fly type will usually produce results and if they don't, you're going to have trouble catching on that day even if you have 300 patterns.

Grouse

True - the change I found from using 7X (2.25 lb/ 0.1 mm) was incredible.

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thanx for the replys sofar chaps, i wasnt really after any in depth information it was more of a thinking out loud question but i guess most of my fishing will be on the tees or local still waters. i guess on any given day you could catch a fish on any type of fly as it all depends on the fish right?

On the Tees stick to small nymphs and spiders on light leaders but in the still water it matters a lot less. Newly stocked rainbows will chase and take virtually anything.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

The "bead head gold ribbed hare's ear" (BH GRHE) has done well for me on the Tees as well as a slim dark olive czech nymph. Could I ask where on the Tees you have tried?

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